Dynamic hardware configuration

ABSTRACT

Disclosed are some implementations of systems, apparatus, methods and computer program products for dynamically configuring a hardware device. A hardware configuration descriptor can be customized, where the hardware configuration descriptor includes a set of hardware interface attributes for use in configuring hardware interfaces of a hardware device and indicates one or more web addresses corresponding to computer-readable instructions configurable to control operation of the hardware device during runtime. The hardware configuration descriptor can be transmitted to the hardware device responsive to a request from the hardware device. The hardware device automatically applies the hardware configuration descriptor to configure its interfaces and subsequently accesses the web addresses during operation of the hardware device.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material,which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentor the patent disclosure as it appears in the United States Patent andTrademark Office patent file or records but otherwise reserves allcopyright rights whatsoever.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This patent document generally relates to systems and techniquesassociated with configuring hardware devices. More specifically, thispatent document discloses techniques for facilitating the dynamicconfiguration of hardware interfaces and runtime behavior of hardwaredevices.

BACKGROUND

“Cloud computing” services provide shared network-based resources,applications, and information to computers and other devices uponrequest. In cloud computing environments, services can be provided byservers to computer systems via the Internet and wireless networksrather than installing software locally on the computer systems. A usercan interact with social networking systems, electronic mail (email)systems, instant messaging systems, and other software applications in acloud computing environment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The included drawings are for illustrative purposes and serve only toprovide examples of possible structures and operations for the disclosedsystems, apparatus, methods and computer program products forfacilitating dynamic hardware configuration. These drawings in no waylimit any changes in form and detail that may be made by one skilled inthe art without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosedimplementations.

FIG. 1 shows a system diagram of an example of a system 100 in whichdynamic hardware configuration can be facilitated, in accordance withsome implementations.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of an example computing system 200 that may be usedwith some implementations.

FIGS. 3A-3C show examples of graphical user interfaces (GUIs)configurable to facilitate generation of a hardware configurationdescriptor for a virtual hardware device, in accordance with someimplementations.

FIG. 3D shows a process flow diagram representing computer-readableinstructions configurable to control runtime operation of a hardwaredevice, in accordance with some implementations.

FIG. 4 shows a process flow diagram illustrating a method of generatinga hardware configuration descriptor, in accordance with variousimplementations.

FIG. 5 shows a process flow diagram illustrating a method of configuringa hardware device using a hardware configuration descriptor, inaccordance with various implementations.

FIG. 6A shows a block diagram of an example of an environment 10 inwhich an on-demand database service can be used in accordance with someimplementations.

FIG. 6B shows a block diagram of an example of some implementations ofelements of FIG. 6A and various possible interconnections between theseelements.

FIG. 7A shows a system diagram of an example of architectural componentsof an on-demand database service environment 900, in accordance withsome implementations.

FIG. 7B shows a system diagram further illustrating an example ofarchitectural components of an on-demand database service environment,in accordance with some implementations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Examples of systems, apparatus, methods and computer program productsaccording to the disclosed implementations are described in thissection. These examples are being provided solely to add context and aidin the understanding of the disclosed implementations. It will thus beapparent to one skilled in the art that implementations may be practicedwithout some or all of these specific details. In other instances,certain operations have not been described in detail to avoidunnecessarily obscuring implementations. Other applications arepossible, such that the following examples should not be taken asdefinitive or limiting either in scope or setting.

In the following detailed description, references are made to theaccompanying drawings, which form a part of the description and in whichare shown, by way of illustration, specific implementations. Althoughthese implementations are described in sufficient detail to enable oneskilled in the art to practice the disclosed implementations, it isunderstood that these examples are not limiting, such that otherimplementations may be used and changes may be made without departingfrom their spirit and scope. For example, the operations of methodsshown and described herein are not necessarily performed in the orderindicated. It should also be understood that the methods may includemore or fewer operations than are indicated. In some implementations,operations described herein as separate operations may be combined.Conversely, what may be described herein as a single operation may beimplemented in multiple operations.

Some implementations of the disclosed systems, apparatus, methods andcomputer program products are configured to facilitate the dynamicconfiguration of a hardware device using a hardware configurationdescriptor associated with a virtual hardware device. In someimplementations, systems, apparatus, methods, and computer programproducts are configured to facilitate the generation of a hardwareconfiguration descriptor based upon user input received from a clientdevice.

Typically, to configure a programmable hardware device such as amicrocontroller to perform in a specific manner, computer-readable codeis written and installed on the hardware device. By staticallyconfiguring a hardware device, this results in consistent behavior ofthe device over time.

There are a number of scenarios in which it is desirable to enable theperformance and runtime behavior of a hardware device to be customizedin real-time. For example, it may be desirable for individuals such asthose in a sales team to implement and demonstrate tactile connectedhardware use cases to a customer. Unfortunately, these individuals aregenerally unable to write software programs themselves. Moreover,generating computer-readable code in real-time is cumbersome andtime-consuming.

While it is theoretically possible to store computer-readable code for anumber of different scenarios on a hardware device, the size of thememory limits the number of use cases that could be replicated in asingle hardware device. Furthermore, for complex use cases,computer-readable code could be substantial.

In accordance with various implementations, a hardware device can beconfigured dynamically via a network using a hardware configurationdescriptor that controls the configuration of hardware interfaces (e.g.,pins) of the hardware device, as well as the runtime behavior of thehardware device. The hardware configuration descriptor can indicate, forat least one hardware interface identifier, an input-output (I/O)configuration of a corresponding hardware interface of the hardwaredevice. In addition, the hardware configuration descriptor can indicate,for a given hardware interface identifier, an analog-digitalconfiguration indicating whether the corresponding hardware interface isanalog or digital. Moreover, the hardware configuration descriptor canidentify at least one source of computer-readable instructionsconfigurable to control operation of the hardware device.

In some implementations, the hardware device obtains a hardwareconfiguration descriptor from a server, which it can apply toautomatically configure its hardware interface(s) and/or guide runtimeoperation of the hardware device. More particularly, the hardware devicecan transmit a first request to a server and process a response receivedfrom the server, where the response includes a hardware configurationdescriptor. The hardware device can store the hardware configurationdescriptor or portion thereof in a memory of the hardware device. Thehardware device can then automatically configure at least one hardwareinterface using the hardware configuration descriptor. In addition, thehardware device can transmit a second request to a source ofcomputer-readable instructions, as identified in the hardwareconfiguration descriptor. By transmitting the second request, thecomputer-readable instructions can be executed and/or downloaded,enabling the runtime operation of the hardware device to be controlled.In this manner, it is possibly to dynamically configure a hardwaredevice while minimizing the amount of information that is stored on thehardware device at any given moment in time.

In some implementations, the hardware device transmits the first requestto a server according to a specific virtual hardware device that hasbeen selected. For example, the virtual hardware device can be selectedfrom a plurality of virtual hardware device types by a user using aninput device, where each of the virtual hardware device types isassociated with a corresponding web address. Therefore, the firstrequest may be directed to the web address associated with the desiredvirtual hardware device configuration.

In some implementations, a server transmits at least one graphical userinterface (GUI) that provides a set of user-configurable attributes of ahardware configuration descriptor for configuration of a hardware deviceas a corresponding virtual hardware device type. The set ofuser-configurable attributes can include a set of hardware interfaceattributes. In addition, the set of user-configurable attributes areconfigurable to enable a user to specify or otherwise identify at leastone source of computer-readable instructions that can guide operation ofthe hardware device during runtime. The server can obtain, from a clientdevice, a hardware interface configuration associated with the set ofhardware interface attributes. In addition, the server can obtain, fromthe client device, an indication of at least one web address identifyingat least one source of the computer-readable instructions. The servergenerates or updates a hardware configuration descriptor using thehardware interface configuration and web address and stores the hardwareconfiguration descriptor in association with the virtual hardware devicetype. The server can then facilitate the configuration of a hardwaredevice by transmitting the hardware configuration descriptor to thehardware device, either automatically or responsive to a requestreceived from the hardware device.

FIG. 1 shows a system diagram of an example of a system 100 in whichdynamic hardware configuration can be facilitated, in accordance withsome implementations. Database system 102 includes a variety ofdifferent hardware and/or software components that are in communicationwith each other. In the non-limiting example of FIG. 1 , system 102includes any number of computing devices such as servers 104. Servers104 are in communication with one or more storage mediums 106 configuredto store and maintain relevant data and/or metadata used to perform someof the techniques disclosed herein, as well as to store and maintainrelevant data and/or metadata generated by the techniques disclosedherein. Storage mediums 106 may further store computer-readableinstructions configured to perform some of the techniques describedherein. Storage mediums 106 can also store user profiles of users ofsystem 101, as well as database records such as customer relationshipmanagement (CRM) records and/or hardware configuration descriptors suchas those described herein.

System 102 includes server system 108, which can implement one or moreweb applications. As will be described in further detail below, virtualhardware configuration system 108 can facilitate the dynamicconfiguration of hardware devices using hardware configurationdescriptors, as well as the customization and generation of hardwareconfiguration descriptors associated with virtual hardware devices.

In some implementations, system 102 is configured to store userprofiles/user accounts associated with users of system 102. Informationmaintained in a user profile of a user can include a client identifiersuch an Internet Protocol (IP) address or Media Access Control (MAC)address. In addition, the information can include a unique useridentifier such as an alpha-numerical identifier, the user's name, auser email address, and credentials of the user. Credentials of the usercan include a username and password. The information can further includejob related information such as a job tide, role, group, department,organization, and/or experience level, as well as any associatedpermissions. Profile information such as job related information and anyassociated permissions can be applied by system 102 to manage access webapplications or services such as those described herein.

Client devices 126, 128, 130 may be in communication with system 102 vianetwork 110. More particularly, client devices 126, 128, 130 maycommunicate with servers 104 via network 110. For example, network 110can be the Internet. In another example, network 110 comprises one ormore local area networks (LAN) in communication with one or more widearea networks (WAN) such as the Internet. Embodiments described hereinare often implemented in a cloud computing environment, in which network110, servers 104, and possible additional apparatus and systems such asmulti-tenant databases may all be considered part of the “cloud.”Servers 104 may be associated with a network domain, such aswww.salesforce.com and may be controlled by a data provider associatedwith the network domain. In this example, employee users 120, 122, 124of client computing devices 126, 128, 130 have accounts atSalesforce.com®. By logging into their accounts, users 126, 128, 130 canaccess the various services and data provided by system 102 toemployees. In other implementations, users 120, 122, 124 need not beemployees of Salesforce.com® or log into accounts to access services anddata provided by system 102. Examples of devices used by users include,but are not limited to a desktop computer or portable electronic devicesuch as a smartphone, a tablet, a laptop, a wearable device such asGoogle Glass®, another optical head-mounted display (OHMD) device, asmart watch, etc.

In some implementations, users 120, 122, 124 of client devices 126, 128,130 can access services provided by system 102 via platform 112 or anapplication installed on client devices 126, 128, 130. Moreparticularly, client devices 126, 128, 130 can log into system 102 viaan application programming interface (API) or via a graphical userinterface (GUI) using credentials of corresponding users 120, 122, 124respectively.

Client devices 126, 128, 130 can communicate with hardware configurationsystem 108 directly or via platform 112. Communications between clientdevices 126, 128, 130 and system 102 can be initiated by a user 120,122, 124. Alternatively, communications can be initiated by system 102and/or application(s) installed on client devices 126, 128, 130.Therefore, communications between client devices 126, 128, 130 andsystem 102 can be initiated automatically or responsive to a userrequest.

In some implementations, system 100 supports the dynamic configurationof various hardware devices such as hardware device 140. In someimplementations, hardware device 140 is an Internet of Things (IoT)device. Hardware device 140 may be a programmable hardware device suchas a microcontroller or other integrated circuit (IC) device that can beused to control an electronic system or portion thereof. For example, anelectronic system can include a thermometer, a sensor (e.g., heatsensor), light bulb, light emitting diode (LED), light meter, screen,button, or other tactile components. In some use cases, an electronicsystem can also include a client device.

Communications between hardware device 140 and hardware configurationsystem 108 can be initiated by a user 120, 122, 124 (e.g., responsive toselection of a virtual hardware device). In some instances,communications between hardware device 140 and hardware configurationsystem 108 can be initiated by system 108 and/or hardware device 140.Such communications can occur to set up hardware device 140 or duringruntime. Therefore, communications between hardware device 140 andsystem 108 can be initiated automatically or responsive to a userrequest.

Some implementations may be described in the general context ofcomputing system executable instructions, such as program modules, beingexecuted by a computer. Instructions configurable to dynamicallyconfigure a hardware device such as hardware device 140 can betransmitted to hardware device 140 by system 108. Alternatively,instructions can be downloaded via an application store or staticallyconfigured in a memory of hardware device 140. The disclosedimplementations may further include objects, data structures, and/ormetadata, which may facilitate dynamic hardware configuration or may begenerated as a result of dynamic hardware configuration.

Some implementations may also be practiced in distributed computingenvironments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices thatare linked through a communications network. In a distributed computingenvironment, program modules may be located in local and/or remotecomputer storage media including memory storage devices.

A computing device that operates as a server, client device, or hardwaredevice may be implemented via any suitable computing system. FIG. 2 is adiagram of an example computing system 200 that may be used with someimplementations. Computing system 200 may include a central processingunit (CPU) 220 having one or more processing cores and a memory 230. Inaddition, computing system 200 may include a system bus 221 that coupleswith various system components including the memory 230 and the CPU 220.

In some implementations, computing system 200 includes a variety ofcomputer program product. A computer program product can be anyavailable media that can be accessed by computing system 200 including,but not limited to, volatile and nonvolatile media, removable andnon-removable media. A computer program product may store informationsuch as computer readable instructions, data structures, or other datasuch as that described herein.

Memory 230 may include read only memory (ROM)) and/or random-accessmemory (RAM). In some implementations, memory 230 stores computerreadable instructions, data structures, and/or data, which may begenerated or processed as described herein.

In some implementations, a user may interact with the computing system200 through an input device such as a keyboard, a microphone, a remotecontrol, and/or a pointing device such as a mouse, touch pad, or touchscreen. These and other input devices may be connected to the CPU 220through a user input interface 260. Alternatively, an input device maybe connected to computing system 200 by another interface such as auniversal serial bus (USB) port or wireless interface.

Computing system 200 may operate in a networked environment via which itmay connect to a system such as that described above with reference toFIG. 1 . Computing system 200 may be connected to a local or wide areanetwork through a network interface or adapter 270.

In accordance with various implementations, a hardware configurationdescriptor can be customized for a virtual hardware device via at leastone graphical user interface (GUI). FIGS. 3A-3C show examples of GUIsconfigurable to provide user configurable attributes of a hardwareconfiguration descriptor for a virtual hardware device, in accordancewith some implementations. GUI 300 is an example of a user interface viawhich a hardware configuration descriptor may be customized. A virtualhardware device identifier 302 of a hardware configuration descriptormay be specified via an input element of GUI 300. For example identifier302 may include the name of a virtual hardware device such as “blinkingstoplight.” User configurable attributes associated with a hardwareconfiguration descriptor can identify or otherwise indicate at least onesource of computer-readable instructions that control runtime operationof a hardware device configured using the hardware configurationdescriptor. In this example, GUI 300 includes user interface element304. In this example, user interface element 304 enables a user toindicate or otherwise specify a uniform resource locator (URL) via whichcomputer-readable instructions can be accessed.

User configurable attributes can also include hardware interfaceattributes 306. In this example, hardware interface attributes 306include, for at least one interface identifier, an input-outputattribute 308 of a corresponding hardware interface. More particularly,input-output attribute 308 indicates whether the corresponding hardwareinterface(s) operate as an input and/or as an output during runtimeoperation of the hardware device. For example, a value of input-outputattribute 308 may indicate that a corresponding hardware interface is tooperate as an input interface when in a first state and as an outputinterface when in a second state. As another example, the value ofinput-output attribute 308 may indicate that a corresponding hardwareinterface is to operate as a bi-directional interface when in a thirdstate.

In some implementations, hardware interface attributes 306 include, forat least one interface identifier, an analog-digital attribute 310 of acorresponding hardware interface. Analog-digital attribute 310 mayindicate that the hardware interface is to operate in analog mode when avalue of attribute 310 is in a first state and in digital mode when thevalue of attribute 310 is in a second state.

A source of computer-readable instructions may also be associated with aspecific hardware interface, as shown in GUI 330 of FIG. 3B. Thus,hardware interface attributes 306 can further identify the source ofcomputer-readable instructions associated with a specific interfaceidentifier (e.g., numerical identifier), as shown at 312. As describedabove, the identity of the source of computer-readable instructions caninclude a URL via which the computer-readable instructions can beaccessed.

As shown in GUI 360 of FIG. 3C, analog-digital attribute 310 associatedwith an interface identifier may have further configurable attributesassociated therewith. For example, if the value of attribute 310 isanalog, additional user configurable attribute(s) may enable a user tocustomize a corresponding range such as high action, nominal action d,or low action, as shown at 314, 316, 318, respectively.

Once generated, the hardware configuration descriptor can be associatedwith a virtual hardware device. The system can store a library ofhardware configuration descriptors, where each hardware configurationdescriptor is associated with a corresponding virtual hardware deviceidentifier.

In some implementations, the computer-readable instructions can begenerated using a Flow Builder that enables computer software to berepresented visually using process flows. FIG. 3D shows a simplifiedprocess flow diagram 370 representing computer-readable instructionsconfigurable to control runtime operation of a hardware device, inaccordance with some implementations. As shown in this example, processflow diagram 370 includes a plurality of elements 372, 374, 376. Anindividual element can include a user interface element corresponding toa subset of the computer-readable instructions. For example, anindividual element can represent a function, decision element, sub-flow,which can include sub-flow elements. To add elements to the process flowdiagram, a user can select an icon representing a particular element andperform a drag-and-drop operation to position the desired element withina canvas, as shown in FIG. 3D. In some implementations, an element cancorrespond to an action performed in relation to a hardware deviceconfigured using a hardware configuration descriptor. For example, anaction, “blink,” can correspond to instructions that cause a light bulbconnected to a hardware interface of the hardware device to blink aspecific number of times.

In some implementations, a user can customize an action element byspecifying value(s) associated with parameter(s) of the action element.A user can interact with such an action element, for example, byclicking on the corresponding element. Responsive to user interactionwith the action element, a user interface can then be presented,enabling the user to configure the parameter value(s) of thecorresponding action element, as desired. For example, the user mayspecify a particular number of times that a light bulb is to blink. Asanother example, the user may specify a particular virtual hardwaredevice identifier, interface identifier(s), input value(s), etc.

In some implementations, an element representing a particular virtualhardware device can be added to the process flow. For example, theelement can visually represent a specific number of interfaces of theselected virtual hardware device. Through the use of a visualrepresentation of a virtual hardware device, a user can easily connectan action element to a specific interface of the virtual hardware devicevia a drag-and-drop operation. For example, the user may connect a blinkaction element to interface identifier 3 of the virtual hardware deviceelement.

In some implementations, attribute values associated with a virtualhardware device may be visually represented via an element representingthe virtual hardware device or represented in close proximity to theelement within the canvas. For example, attribute values can indicatewhether an interface is an input and/or output. As another example, theattribute values can indicate whether an interface is an analog ordigital interface. This enables a user to easily ascertain theinterfaces that might be suitable for or relevant to a particularaction.

Through the use of the Flow Builder, a user that does not have computercoding experience can generate computer-readable instructions suitablefor a given scenario or demo. However, it is important to note that thisexample is merely illustrative. Therefore, the computer-readableinstructions can be generated using traditional coding techniques orother suitable methods.

FIG. 4 shows a process flow diagram 400 illustrating a method ofgenerating a hardware configuration descriptor, in accordance withvarious implementations. A user can specify or otherwise indicate anidentifier associated with a corresponding hardware configurationdescriptor. For example, the identifier can be a name of a virtualhardware device such as “blinking traffic light.”

A server system transmits, to a client device, at least one graphicaluser interface (GUI) for presentation via a display at 402. The GUI isconfigurable to provide a set of user-configurable attributes of ahardware configuration descriptor associated with a virtual hardwaredevice type. In some implementations, the GUI enables a user to specifyor otherwise indicate a number of interfaces in the virtual hardwaredevice. For example, the user can select or otherwise specify aparticular microcontroller that will be configured using the hardwareconfiguration descriptor. The user can then customize the configurationfor the interfaces, as will be described in further detail below.

The set of user-configurable attributes can include a set of hardwareinterface attributes, where the set of hardware interface attributesincludes an input-output attribute associated with an interfaceidentifier of at least one hardware interface. For example, GUI 400 canprovide a menu, input box, or other user interface. In someimplementations, the set of hardware interface attributes includes ananalog-digital designation attribute. Additional action attribute(s) canalso be associated with at least one interface, as will be described infurther detail below.

In addition, the set of user-configurable attributes is configurable toidentify at least one source of computer-readable instructions, wherethe computer-readable instructions are configurable to control runtimeoperation of a hardware device that is configured using the hardwareconfiguration descriptor.

The server system obtains, from the client device, a hardware interfaceconfiguration associated with the set of hardware interface attributesat 404. The hardware interface configuration can indicate, for theinterface identifier of at least one hardware interface, a value of thecorresponding input-output attribute. More particularly, the value canindicate whether the corresponding interface is to operate as an inputand/or an output interface. In addition, the hardware interfaceconfiguration can indicate, for the interface identifier of at least onehardware interface, a value of the corresponding analog-digitaldesignation indicating whether the corresponding interface is to operatein analog or digital mode. As described herein, value(s) of additionalattribute(s) may be specified or otherwise indicated in the event thatthe analog mode is indicated for a corresponding interface.

In addition, the server system can obtain, from the client device, anindication of at least a first web address identifying the source(s) ofcomputer-readable instructions at 406. More particularly, a web address(e.g., URL) can be specified or selected from a number ofuser-selectable options. In some implementations, the indication of aweb address is obtained in association with at least one interfaceidentifier corresponding to at least one hardware interface. Duringruntime, the hardware device can access the computer-readableinstructions via the web address (e.g., by calling the URL), as will bedescribed in further detail below.

The server system can generate or update a first hardware configurationdescriptor at 408 based, at least in part, on the hardware interfaceconfiguration and the first web address and stores the first hardwareconfiguration descriptor at 410. For example, the hardware configurationdescriptor can be stored as a data object in a database record of adatabase. In some implementations, the hardware configuration descriptorincludes an identifier of the corresponding virtual hardware devicetype.

The server system can subsequently facilitate configuration of ahardware device at 412 by transmitting the hardware configurationdescriptor to the hardware device. More particularly, the server systemcan retrieve data from fields of the pertinent database record fortransmission. For example, the hardware configuration descriptor can betransmitted via a file in a data format such as JavaScript ObjectNotation (JSON).

In some implementations the server system identifies the hardwareconfiguration descriptor that is to be transmitted responsive to arequest received from the client device. For example, the client devicemay request a hardware configuration descriptor associated with aspecific virtual hardware device, as will be described in further detailbelow. For example, the client device can send a request including asecond web address (e.g., URL).

In some implementations, prior to configuring a hardware device tooperate as a virtual hardware device and presenting a demo of thevirtual hardware device via the hardware device, network connectivity isestablished. For example, an administrator can ensure that the hardwaredevice is connected to a network such as a wireless or Bluetoothnetwork. During this process, the administrator can log the hardwaredevice into the network by submitting a login identifier and password.For example, the administrator can establish the network connection viaan input/output device connected to the hardware device.

FIG. 5 shows a process flow diagram illustrating a method of configuringa hardware device using a hardware configuration descriptor, inaccordance with various implementations. Prior to operation of thehardware device, the hardware device is configured using a hardwareconfiguration descriptor. The hardware configuration descriptor istransmitted by a server to the hardware device, either automatically orresponsive to a request. In some implementations, the hardware devicetransmits a first request to the server via a network at 502. Forexample, the hardware device may transmit a HTTP request including afirst web address (e.g., URL). The first web address may be associatedwith a particular virtual hardware device, as described herein.

In some implementations, the administrator can select a particular demoto run via the hardware device. More particularly, the hardware devicecan be coupled to a display via which a GUI including a plurality ofuser-selectable virtual hardware device types are presented. A user canselect the desired virtual hardware device type via an input/outputdevice. Responsive to processing an indication of a selection of thevirtual hardware device type, the corresponding first web address can beidentified for transmission of the request. In other implementations,the first web address can be retrieved from a configuration file,enabling the hardware device to be configured during the hardware bootprocess.

The hardware device processes a response received from the serverresponsive to the first request at 504, where the response includes ahardware configuration descriptor. As described herein, the hardwareconfiguration descriptor is associated with a virtual hardware device,which may be user selected.

In some implementations, the response includes a JSON file that thehardware device processes to obtain data of the hardware configurationdescriptor. For example, the hardware device may parse the JSON file toobtain the hardware configuration descriptor or data items thereof.

The hardware device stores the hardware configuration descriptor in amemory of the hardware device at 506. For example, the hardware devicecan store the JSON file and/or data items of the hardware descriptorthat are obtained as a result of parsing the JSON file. The hardwareconfiguration descriptor indicates, for at least one hardware interfaceidentifier, an input-output configuration of a corresponding hardwareinterface of the hardware device. The hardware configuration descriptorcan further indicate, for at least one hardware interface, ananalog-digital configuration indicating whether the correspondinghardware interface is analog or digital.

In addition, the hardware configuration descriptor indicates at least asecond web address (e.g., URL) corresponding to computer-readableinstructions configurable to control operation of the hardware device.As described herein, the second web address may control generaloperation of the hardware device or may be associated with a particularinterface identifier of a hardware interface. Therefore, the hardwareconfiguration descriptor can include or otherwise indicate one or moreweb addresses via which the computer-readable instructions can beaccessed.

The hardware device automatically configures at least one hardwareinterface of the hardware device using the hardware configurationdescriptor at 508. In some implementations, the hardware device caniterate through each hardware interface to configure it using thehardware interface configuration of the hardware configurationdescriptor. More particularly, the hardware device can configure ahardware interface as an input and/or output interface. In addition, thehardware device can configure an interface as analog or digital. Asdescribed herein, additional information or thresholds such as thoseassociated with an analog interface can be configured by the hardwaredevice using the hardware configuration descriptor.

The hardware device can transmit a second request including the secondweb address (e.g., URL) associated with the computer-readableinstructions at 510. For example, the second request can include a HTTPrequest. The computer-readable instructions can control operation of thehardware device during runtime. The computer-readable instructions cancontrol runtime operation of the hardware device. In some instances, thecomputer-readable instructions or portion thereof can control operationwith respect to a particular interface of the hardware device.Specifically, where the second web address is associated with a firsthardware interface identifier, the computer-readable instructions cancontrol operation of a corresponding first hardware interface mapped tothe first hardware interface identifier. For example, the second requestcan be transmitted responsive to obtaining data input received via thefirst hardware interface. As another example, the second request can betransmitted responsive to obtaining data output via the first hardwareinterface. The data can then be processed according to thecomputer-readable instructions.

In some implementations, the second request includes value(s)corresponding to parameter(s) of a function implemented by thecomputer-readable instructions. For example, the second request caninclude an input or output data value obtained via the first hardwareinterface.

Responsive to the second request, the computer-readable instructions canbe executed remotely by a server system. This enables complex virtualhardware devices to be implemented without requiring an extensive amountof instructions to be stored at the hardware device. Alternatively, thecomputer-readable instructions can be downloaded during runtime andexecuted locally by the hardware device.

During execution of the computer-readable instructions, various hardwareelements of an electronic system can be controlled via the hardwaredevice. In some instances, data can be generated, manipulated, stored,and/or retrieved (e.g., from a database). Therefore, the disclosedimplementations have wide applicability to a variety of use cases andelectronic systems.

Some but not all of the techniques described or referenced herein areimplemented using or in conjunction with a database system.Salesforce.com, inc, is a provider of customer relationship management(CRM) services and other database management services, which can beaccessed and used in conjunction with the techniques disclosed herein insome implementations. In some but not all implementations, services canbe provided in a cloud computing environment, for example, in thecontext of a multi-tenant database system. Thus, some of the disclosedtechniques can be implemented without having to install softwarelocally, that is, on computing devices of users interacting withservices available through the cloud. Some of the disclosed techniquescan be implemented via an application installed on computing devices ofusers.

Information stored in a database record can include various types ofdata including character-based data, audio data, image data, animatedimages, and/or video data. A database record can store one or morefiles, which can include text, presentations, documents, multimediafiles, and the like. Data retrieved from a database can be presented viaa computing device. For example, visual data can be displayed in agraphical user interface (GUI) on a display device such as the displayof the computing device. In some but not all implementations, thedisclosed methods, apparatus, systems, and computer program products maybe configured or designed for use in a multi-tenant databaseenvironment.

The term “multi-tenant database system” generally refers to thosesystems in which various elements of hardware and/or software of adatabase system may be shared by one or more customers. For example, agiven application server may simultaneously process requests for a greatnumber of customers, and a given database table may store rows of datasuch as feed items for a potentially much greater number of customers.

An example of a “user profile” or “user's profile” is a database objector set of objects configured to store and maintain data about a givenuser of a social networking system and/or database system. The data caninclude general information, such as name, title, phone number, a photo,a biographical summary, and a status, e.g., text describing what theuser is currently doing. Where there are multiple tenants, a user istypically associated with a particular tenant. For example, a user couldbe a salesperson of a company, which is a tenant of the database systemthat provides a database service.

The term “record” generally refers to a data entity having fields withvalues and stored in database system. An example of a record is aninstance of a data object created by a user of the database service, forexample, in the form of a CRM record about a particular (actual orpotential) business relationship or project. The record can have a datastructure defined by the database service (a standard object) or definedby a user (custom object). For example, a record can be for a businesspartner or potential business partner (e.g., a client, vendor,distributor, etc.) of the user, and can include information describingan entire company, subsidiaries, or contacts at the company. As anotherexample, a record can be a project that the user is working on, such asan opportunity (e.g., a possible sale) with an existing partner, or aproject that the user is trying to get. In one implementation of amulti-tenant database system, each record for the tenants has a uniqueidentifier stored in a common table. A record has data fields that aredefined by the structure of the object (e.g., fields of certain datatypes and purposes). A record can also have custom fields defined by auser. A field can be another record or include links thereto, therebyproviding a parent-child relationship between the records.

Some non-limiting examples of systems, apparatus, and methods aredescribed below for implementing database systems and enterprise levelsocial networking systems in conjunction with the disclosed techniques.Such implementations can provide more efficient use of a databasesystem. For instance, a user of a database system may not easily knowwhen important information in the database has changed, e.g., about aproject or client. Such implementations can provide feed tracked updatesabout such changes and other events, thereby keeping users informed.

FIG. 6A shows a block diagram of an example of an environment 10 inwhich an on-demand database service exists and can be used in accordancewith some implementations. Environment 10 may include user systems 12,network 14, database system 16, processor system 17, applicationplatform 18, network interface 20, tenant data storage 22, system datastorage 24, program code 26, and process space 28. In otherimplementations, environment 10 may not have all of these componentsand/or may have other components instead of, or in addition to, thoselisted above.

A user system 12 may be implemented as any computing device(s) or otherdata processing apparatus such as a machine or system used by a user toaccess a database system 16. For example, any of user systems 12 can bea handheld and/or portable computing device such as a mobile phone, asmartphone, a laptop computer, or a tablet. Other examples of a usersystem include computing devices such as a work station and/or a networkof computing devices. As illustrated in FIG. 6A (and in more detail inFIG. 6B) user systems 12 might interact via a network 14 with anon-demand database service, which is implemented in the example of FIG.6A as database system 16.

An on-demand database service, implemented using system 16 by way ofexample, is a service that is made available to users who do not need tonecessarily be concerned with building and/or maintaining the databasesystem. Instead, the database system may be available for their use whenthe users need the database system, i.e., on the demand of the users.Some on-demand database services may store information from one or moretenants into tables of a common database image to form a multi-tenantdatabase system (MTS). A database image may include one or more databaseobjects. A relational database management system (RDBMS) or theequivalent may execute storage and retrieval of information against thedatabase object(s). Application platform 18 may be a framework thatallows the applications of system 16 to run, such as the hardware and/orsoftware, e.g., the operating system. In some implementations,application platform 18 enables creation, managing and executing one ormore applications developed by the provider of the on-demand databaseservice, users accessing the on-demand database service via user systems12, or third party application developers accessing the on-demanddatabase service via user systems 12.

The users of user systems 12 may differ in their respective capacities,and the capacity of a particular user system 12 might be entirelydetermined by permissions (permission levels) for the current user. Forexample, when a salesperson is using a particular user system 12 tointeract with system 16, the user system has the capacities allotted tothat salesperson. However, while an administrator is using that usersystem to interact with system 16, that user system has the capacitiesallotted to that administrator. In systems with a hierarchical rolemodel, users at one permission level may have access to applications,data, and database information accessible by a lower permission leveluser, but may not have access to certain applications, databaseinformation, and data accessible by a user at a higher permission level.Thus, different users will have different capabilities with regard toaccessing and modifying application and database information, dependingon a user's security or permission level, also called authorization.

Network 14 is any network or combination of networks of devices thatcommunicate with one another. For example, network 14 can be any one orany combination of a LAN (local area network), WAN (wide area network),telephone network, wireless network, point-to-point network, starnetwork, token ring network, hub network, or other appropriateconfiguration. Network 14 can include a TCP/IP (Transfer ControlProtocol and Internet Protocol) network, such as the global internetworkof networks often referred to as the Internet. The Internet will be usedin many of the examples herein. However, it should be understood thatthe networks that the present implementations might use are not solimited.

User systems 12 might communicate with system 16 using TCP/IP and, at ahigher network level, use other common Internet protocols tocommunicate, such as HTTP, FTP, AFS, WAP, etc. In an example where HTTPis used, user system 12 might include an HTTP client commonly referredto as a “browser” for sending and receiving HTTP signals to and from anHTTP server at system 16. Such an HTTP server might be implemented asthe sole network interface 20 between system 16 and network 14, butother techniques might be used as well or instead. In someimplementations, the network interface 20 between system 16 and network14 includes load sharing functionality, such as round-robin HTTP requestdistributors to balance loads and distribute incoming HTTP requestsevenly over a plurality of servers. At least for users accessing system16, each of the plurality of servers has access to the MTS' data,however, other alternative configurations may be used instead.

In one implementation, system 16, shown in FIG. 6A, implements aweb-based CRM system. For example, in one implementation, system 16includes application servers configured to implement and execute CRMsoftware applications as well as provide related data, code, forms, webpages and other information to and from user systems 12 and to store to,and retrieve from, a database system related data, objects, and Webpagecontent. With a multi-tenant system, data for multiple tenants may bestored in the same physical database object in tenant data storage 22,however, tenant data typically is arranged in the storage medium(s) oftenant data storage 22 so that data of one tenant is kept logicallyseparate from that of other tenants so that one tenant does not haveaccess to another tenant's data, unless such data is expressly shared.In certain implementations, system 16 implements applications otherthan, or in addition to, a CRM application. For example, system 16 mayprovide tenant access to multiple hosted (standard and custom)applications, including a CRM application. User (or third partydeveloper) applications, which may or may not include CRM, may besupported by the application platform 18, which manages creation,storage of the applications into one or more database objects andexecuting of the applications in a virtual machine in the process spaceof the system 16.

One arrangement for elements of system 16 is shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B,including a network interface 20, application platform 18, tenant datastorage 22 for tenant data 23, system data storage 24 for system data 25accessible to system 16 and possibly multiple tenants, program code 26for implementing various functions of system 16, and a process space 28for executing MTS system processes and tenant-specific processes, suchas running applications as part of an application hosting service.Additional processes that may execute on system 16 include databaseindexing processes.

Several elements in the system shown in FIG. 6A include conventional,well-known elements that are explained only briefly here. For example,each user system 12 could include a desktop personal computer,workstation, laptop, PDA, cell phone, or any wireless access protocol(WAP) enabled device or any other computing device capable ofinterfacing directly or indirectly to the Internet or other networkconnection. The term “computing device” is also referred to hereinsimply as a “computer”. User system 12 typically runs an HTTP client,e.g., a browsing program, such as Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser,Netscape's Navigator browser, Opera's browser, or a WAP-enabled browserin the case of a cell phone, PDA or other wireless device, or the like,allowing a user (e.g., subscriber of the multi-tenant database system)of user system 12 to access, process and view information, pages andapplications available to it from system 16 over network 14. Each usersystem 12 also typically includes one or more user input devices, suchas a keyboard, a mouse, trackball, touch pad, touch screen, pen or thelike, for interacting with a GUI provided by the browser on a display(e.g., a monitor screen. LCD display, OLED display, etc.) of thecomputing device in conjunction with pages, forms, applications andother information provided by system 16 or other systems or servers.Thus, “display device” as used herein can refer to a display of acomputer system such as a monitor or touch-screen display, and can referto any computing device having display capabilities such as a desktopcomputer, laptop, tablet, smartphone, a television set-top box, orwearable device such Google Glass® or other human body-mounted displayapparatus. For example, the display device can be used to access dataand applications hosted by system 16, and to perform searches on storeddata, and otherwise allow a user to interact with various GUI pages thatmay be presented to a user. As discussed above, implementations aresuitable for use with the Internet, although other networks can be usedinstead of or in addition to the Internet, such as an intranet, anextranet, a virtual private network (VPN), a non-TCP/IP based network,any LAN or WAN or the like.

According to one implementation, each user system 12 and all of itscomponents are operator configurable using applications, such as abrowser, including computer code run using a central processing unitsuch as an Intel Pentium® processor or the like. Similarly, system 16(and additional instances of an MTS, where more than one is present) andall of its components might be operator configurable usingapplication(s) including computer code to run using processor system 17,which may be implemented to include a central processing unit, which mayinclude an Intel Pentium® processor or the like, and/or multipleprocessor units. Non-transitory computer-readable media can haveinstructions stored thereon/in, that can be executed by or used toprogram a computing device to perform any of the methods of theimplementations described herein. Computer program code 26 implementinginstructions for operating and configuring system 16 to intercommunicateand to process web pages, applications and other data and media contentas described herein is preferably downloadable and stored on a harddisk, but the entire program code, or portions thereof, may also bestored in any other volatile or non-volatile memory medium or device asis well known, such as a ROM or RAM, or provided on any media capable ofstoring program code, such as any type of rotating media includingfloppy disks, optical discs, digital versatile disk (DVD), compact disk(CD), microdrive, and magneto-optical disks, and magnetic or opticalcards, nanosystems (including molecular memory ICs), or any other typeof computer-readable medium or device suitable for storing instructionsand/or data. Additionally, the entire program code, or portions thereof,may be transmitted and downloaded from a software source over atransmission medium, e.g., over the Internet, or from another server, asis well known, or transmitted over any other conventional networkconnection as is well known (e.g., extranet, VPN, LAN, etc.) using anycommunication medium and protocols (e.g., TCP/IP, HTTP, HTTPS, Ethernet,etc.) as are well known. It will also be appreciated that computer codefor the disclosed implementations can be realized in any programminglanguage that can be executed on a client system and/or server or serversystem such as, for example, C, C++. HTML, any other markup language,Java™, JavaScript, ActiveX, any other scripting language, such asVBScript, and many other programming languages as are well known may beused. (Java™ is a trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc.).

According to some implementations, each system 16 is configured toprovide web pages, forms, applications, data and media content to user(client) systems 12 to support the access by user systems 12 as tenantsof system 16. As such, system 16 provides security mechanisms to keepeach tenant's data separate unless the data is shared. If more than oneMTS is used, they may be located in close proximity to one another(e.g., in a server farm located in a single building or campus), or theymay be distributed at locations remote from one another (e.g., one ormore servers located in city A and one or more servers located in cityB). As used herein, each MIS could include one or more logically and/orphysically connected servers distributed locally or across one or moregeographic locations. Additionally, the term “server” is meant to referto one type of computing device such as a system including processinghardware and process space(s), an associated storage medium such as amemory device or database, and, in some instances, a databaseapplication (e.g., OODBMS or RDBMS) as is well known in the art. Itshould also be understood that “server system” and “server” are oftenused interchangeably herein. Similarly, the database objects describedherein can be implemented as single databases, a distributed database, acollection of distributed databases, a database with redundant online oroffline backups or other redundancies, etc., and might include adistributed database or storage network and associated processingintelligence.

FIG. 6B shows a block diagram of an example of some implementations ofelements of FIG. 6A and various possible interconnections between theseelements. That is, FIG. 6B also illustrates environment 10. However, inFIG. 6B elements of system 16 and various interconnections in someimplementations are further illustrated. FIG. 6B shows that user system12 may include processor system 12A, memory system 12B, input system12C, and output system 12D. FIG. 6B shows network 14 and system 16. FIG.6B also shows that system 16 may include tenant data storage 22, tenantdata 23, system data storage 24, system data 25, User Interface (UI) 30,Application Program Interface (API) 32, PL/SOQL 34, save routines 36,application setup mechanism 38, application servers 50 ₁-50 _(N), systemprocess space 52, tenant process spaces 54, tenant management processspace 60, tenant storage space 62, user storage 64, and applicationmetadata 66. In other implementations, environment 10 may not have thesame elements as those listed above and/or may have other elementsinstead of, or in addition to, those listed above.

User system 12, network 14, system 16, tenant data storage 22, andsystem data storage 24 were discussed above in FIG. 6A. Regarding usersystem 12, processor system 12A may be any combination of one or moreprocessors. Memory system 12B may be any combination of one or morememory devices, short term, and/or long term memory. Input system 12Cmay be any combination of input devices, such as one or more keyboards,mice, trackballs, scanners, cameras, and/or interfaces to networks.Output system 12D may be any combination of output devices, such as oneor more monitors, printers, and/or interfaces to networks. As shown byFIG. 6B, system 16 may include a network interface 20 (of FIG. 6A)implemented as a set of application servers 50, an application platform18, tenant data storage 22, and system data storage 24. Also shown issystem process space 52, including individual tenant process spaces 54and a tenant management process space 60. Each application server 50 maybe configured to communicate with tenant data storage 22 and the tenantdata 23 therein, and system data storage 24 and the system data 25therein to serve requests of user systems 12. The tenant data 23 mightbe divided into individual tenant storage spaces 62, which can be eithera physical arrangement and/or a logical arrangement of data. Within eachtenant storage space 62, user storage 64 and application metadata 66might be similarly allocated for each user. For example, a copy of auser's most recently used (MRU) items might be stored to user storage64. Similarly, a copy of MRU items for an entire organization that is atenant might be stored to tenant storage space 62. A UI 30 provides auser interface and an API 32 provides an application programmerinterface to system 16 resident processes to users and/or developers atuser systems 12. The tenant data and the system data may be stored invarious databases, such as one or more Oracle® databases.

Application platform 18 includes an application setup mechanism 38 thatsupports application developers' creation and management ofapplications, which may be saved as metadata into tenant data storage 22by save routines 36 for execution by subscribers as one or more tenantprocess spaces 54 managed by tenant management process 60 for example.Invocations to such applications may be coded using PL/SOQL 34 thatprovides a programming language style interface extension to API 32. Adetailed description of some PL/SOQL language implementations isdiscussed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 7,730,478, titled METHODAND SYSTEM FOR ALLOWING ACCESS TO DEVELOPED APPLICATIONS VIA AMULTI-TENANT ON-DEMAND DATABASE SERVICE, by Craig Weissman, issued onJun. 1, 2010, and hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety andfor all purposes. Invocations to applications may be detected by one ormore system processes, which manage retrieving application metadata 66for the subscriber making the invocation and executing the metadata asan application in a virtual machine.

Each application server 50 may be communicably coupled to databasesystems, e.g., having access to system data 25 and tenant data 23, via adifferent network connection. For example, one application server 50,might be coupled via the network 14 (e.g., the Internet), anotherapplication server 50 _(N-1) might be coupled via a direct network link,and another application server 50 _(N) might be coupled by yet adifferent network connection. Transfer Control Protocol and InternetProtocol (TCP/IP) are typical protocols for communicating betweenapplication servers 50 and the database system. However, it will beapparent to one skilled in the art that other transport protocols may beused to optimize the system depending on the network interconnect used.

In certain implementations, each application server 50 is configured tohandle requests for any user associated with any organization that is atenant. Because it is desirable to be able to add and remove applicationservers from the server pool at any time for any reason, there ispreferably no server affinity for a user and/or organization to aspecific application server 50. In one implementation, therefore, aninterface system implementing a load balancing function (e.g., an F5Big-IP load balancer) is communicably coupled between the applicationservers 50 and the user systems 12 to distribute requests to theapplication servers 50. In one implementation, the load balancer uses aleast connections algorithm to route user requests to the applicationservers 50. Other examples of load balancing algorithms, such as roundrobin and observed response time, also can be used. For example, incertain implementations, three consecutive requests from the same usercould hit three different application servers 50, and three requestsfrom different users could hit the same application server 50. In thismanner, by way of example, system 16 is multi-tenant, wherein system 16handles storage of, and access to, different objects, data andapplications across disparate users and organizations.

As an example of storage, one tenant might be a company that employs asales force where each salesperson uses system 16 to manage their salesprocess. Thus, a user might maintain contact data, leads data, customerfollow-up data, performance data, goals and progress data, etc., allapplicable to that user's personal sales process (e.g., in tenant datastorage 22). In an example of a MTS arrangement, since all of the dataand the applications to access, view, modify, report, transmit,calculate, etc., can be maintained and accessed by a user system havingnothing more than network access, the user can manage his or her salesefforts and cycles from any of many different user systems. For example,if a salesperson is visiting a customer and the customer has Internetaccess in their lobby, the salesperson can obtain critical updates as tothat customer while waiting for the customer to arrive in the lobby.

While each user's data might be separate from other users' dataregardless of the employers of each user, some data might beorganization-wide data shared or accessible by a plurality of users orall of the users for a given organization that is a tenant. Thus, theremight be some data structures managed by system 16 that are allocated atthe tenant level while other data structures might be managed at theuser level. Because an MTS might support multiple tenants includingpossible competitors, the MTS should have security protocols that keepdata, applications, and application use separate. Also, because manytenants may opt for access to an MTS rather than maintain their ownsystem, redundancy, up-time, and backup are additional functions thatmay be implemented in the MTS. In addition to user-specific data andtenant-specific data, system 16 might also maintain system level datausable by multiple tenants or other data. Such system level data mightinclude industry reports, news, postings, and the like that are sharableamong tenants.

In certain implementations, user systems 12 (which may be clientsystems) communicate with application servers 50 to request and updatesystem-level and tenant-level data from system 16 that may involvesending one or more queries to tenant data storage 22 and/or system datastorage 24. System 16 (e.g., an application server 50 in system 16)automatically generates one or more SQL statements (e.g., one or moreSQL queries) that are designed to access the desired information. Systemdata storage 24 may generate query plans to access the requested datafrom the database.

Each database can generally be viewed as a collection of objects, suchas a set of logical tables, containing data fitted into predefinedcategories. A “table” is one representation of a data object, and may beused herein to simplify the conceptual description of objects and customobjects according to some implementations. It should be understood that“table” and “object” may be used interchangeably herein. Each tablegenerally contains one or more data categories logically arranged ascolumns or fields in a viewable schema. Each row or record of a tablecontains an instance of data for each category defined by the fields.For example, a CRM database may include a table that describes acustomer with fields for basic contact information such as name,address, phone number, fax number, etc. Another table might describe apurchase order, including fields for information such as customer,product, sale price, date, etc. In some multi-tenant database systems,standard entity tables might be provided for use by all tenants. For CRMdatabase applications, such standard entities might include tables forcase, account, contact, lead, and opportunity data objects, eachcontaining pre-defined fields. It should be understood that the word“entity” may also be used interchangeably herein with “object” and“table”.

In some multi-tenant database systems, tenants may be allowed to createand store custom objects, or they may be allowed to customize standardentities or objects, for example by creating custom fields for standardobjects, including custom index fields. Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No.7,779,039, titled CUSTOM ENTITIES AND FIELDS IN A MULTI-TENANT DATABASESYSTEM, by Weissman et al., issued on Aug. 17, 2010, and herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety and for all purposes, teachessystems and methods for creating custom objects as well as customizingstandard objects in a multi-tenant database system. In certainimplementations, for example, all custom entity data rows are stored ina single multi-tenant physical table, which may contain multiple logicaltables per organization. It is transparent to customers that theirmultiple “tables” are in fact stored in one large table or that theirdata may be stored in the same table as the data of other customers.

FIG. 7A shows a system diagram of an example of architectural componentsof an on-demand database service environment 900, in accordance withsome implementations. A client machine located in the cloud 904,generally referring to one or more networks in combination, as describedherein, may communicate with the on-demand database service environmentvia one or more edge routers 908 and 912. A client machine can be any ofthe examples of user systems 12 described above. The edge routers maycommunicate with one or more core switches 920 and 924 via firewall 916.The core switches may communicate with a load balancer 928, which maydistribute server load over different pods, such as the pods 940 and944. The pods 940 and 944, which may each include one or more serversand/or other computing resources, may perform data processing and otheroperations used to provide on-demand services. Communication with thepods may be conducted via pod switches 932 and 936. Components of theon-demand database service environment may communicate with a databasestorage 956 via a database firewall 948 and a database switch 952.

As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, accessing an on-demand database serviceenvironment may involve communications transmitted among a variety ofdifferent hardware and/or software components. Further, the on-demanddatabase service environment 900 is a simplified representation of anactual on-demand database service environment. For example, while onlyone or two devices of each type are shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, someimplementations of an on-demand database service environment may includeanywhere from one to many devices of each type. Also, the on-demanddatabase service environment need not include each device shown in FIGS.7A and 7B, or may include additional devices not shown in FIGS. 7A and7B.

Moreover, one or more of the devices in the on-demand database serviceenvironment 900 may be implemented on the same physical device or ondifferent hardware. Some devices may be implemented using hardware or acombination of hardware and software. Thus, terms such as “dataprocessing apparatus,” “machine,” “server” and “device” as used hereinare not limited to a single hardware device, but rather include anyhardware and software configured to provide the described functionality.

The cloud 904 is intended to refer to a data network or combination ofdata networks, often including the Internet. Client machines located inthe cloud 904 may communicate with the on-demand database serviceenvironment to access services provided by the on-demand databaseservice environment. For example, client machines may access theon-demand database service environment to retrieve, store, edit, and/orprocess information.

In some implementations, the edge routers 908 and 912 route packetsbetween the cloud 904 and other components of the on-demand databaseservice environment 900. The edge routers 908 and 912 may employ theBorder Gateway Protocol (BGP). The BGP is the core routing protocol ofthe Internet. The edge routers 908 and 912 may maintain a table of IPnetworks or ‘prefixes’, which designate network reachability amongautonomous systems on the Internet.

In one or more implementations, the firewall 916 may protect the innercomponents of the on-demand database service environment 900 fromInternet traffic. The firewall 916 may block, permit, or deny access tothe inner components of the on-demand database service environment 900based upon a set of rules and other criteria. The firewall 916 may actas one or more of a packet filter, an application gateway, a statefulfilter, a proxy server, or any other type of firewall.

In some implementations, the core switches 920 and 924 are high-capacityswitches that transfer packets within the on-demand database serviceenvironment 900. The core switches 920 and 924 may be configured asnetwork bridges that quickly route data between different componentswithin the on-demand database service environment. In someimplementations, the use of two or more core switches 920 and 924 mayprovide redundancy and/or reduced latency.

In some implementations, the pods 940 and 944 may perform the core dataprocessing and service functions provided by the on-demand databaseservice environment. Each pod may include various types of hardwareand/or software computing resources. An example of the pod architectureis discussed in greater detail with reference to FIG. 7B.

In some implementations, communication between the pods 940 and 944 maybe conducted via the pod switches 932 and 936. The pod switches 932 and936 may facilitate communication between the pods 940 and 944 and clientmachines located in the cloud 904, for example via core switches 920 and924. Also, the pod switches 932 and 936 may facilitate communicationbetween the pods 940 and 944 and the database storage 956.

In some implementations, the load balancer 928 may distribute workloadbetween the pods 940 and 944. Balancing the on-demand service requestsbetween the pods may assist in improving the use of resources,increasing throughput, reducing response times, and/or reducingoverhead. The load balancer 928 may include multilayer switches toanalyze and forward traffic.

In some implementations, access to the database storage 956 may beguarded by a database firewall 948. The database firewall 948 may act asa computer application firewall operating at the database applicationlayer of a protocol stack. The database firewall 948 may protect thedatabase storage 956 from application attacks such as structure querylanguage (SQL) injection, database rootkits, and unauthorizedinformation disclosure.

In some implementations, the database firewall 948 may include a hostusing one or more forms of reverse proxy services to proxy trafficbefore passing it to a gateway router. The database firewall 948 mayinspect the contents of database traffic and block certain content ordatabase requests. The database firewall 948 may work on the SQLapplication level atop the TCP/IP stack, managing applications'connection to the database or SQL management interfaces as well asintercepting and enforcing packets traveling to or from a databasenetwork or application interface.

In some implementations, communication with the database storage 956 maybe conducted via the database switch 952. The multi-tenant databasestorage 956 may include more than one hardware and/or softwarecomponents for handling database queries. Accordingly, the databaseswitch 952 may direct database queries transmitted by other componentsof the on-demand database service environment (e.g., the pods 940 and944) to the correct components within the database storage 956.

In some implementations, the database storage 956 is an on-demanddatabase system shared by many different organizations. The on-demanddatabase service may employ a multi-tenant approach, a virtualizedapproach, or any other type of database approach. On-demand databaseservices are discussed in greater detail with reference to FIGS. 7A and7B.

FIG. 7B shows a system diagram further illustrating an example ofarchitectural components of an on-demand database service environment,in accordance with some implementations. The pod 944 may be used torender services to a user of the on-demand database service environment900. In some implementations, each pod may include a variety of serversand/or other systems. The pod 944 includes one or more content batchservers 964, content search servers 968, query servers 982, file servers986, access control system (ACS) servers 980, batch servers 984, and appservers 988. Also, the pod 944 includes database instances 990, quickfile systems (QFS) 992, and indexers 994. In one or moreimplementations, some or all communication between the servers in thepod 944 may be transmitted via the switch 936.

The content batch servers 964 may handle requests internal to the pod.These requests may be long-running and/or not tied to a particularcustomer. For example, the content batch servers 964 may handle requestsrelated to log mining, cleanup work, and maintenance tasks.

The content search servers 968 may provide query and indexer functions.For example, the functions provided by the content search servers 968may allow users to search through content stored in the on-demanddatabase service environment.

The file servers 986 may manage requests for information stored in thefile storage 998. The file storage 998 may store information such asdocuments, images, and basic large objects (BLOBs). By managing requestsfor information using the file servers 986, the image footprint on thedatabase may be reduced.

The query servers 982 may be used to retrieve information from one ormore file systems. For example, the query system 982 may receiverequests for information from the app servers 988 and then transmitinformation queries to the NFS 996 located outside the pod.

The pod 944 may share a database instance 990 configured as amulti-tenant environment in which different organizations share accessto the same database. Additionally, services rendered by the pod 944 maycall upon various hardware and/or software resources. In someimplementations, the ACS servers 980 may control access to data,hardware resources, or software resources.

In some implementations, the batch servers 984 may process batch jobs,which are used to run tasks at specified times. Thus, the batch servers984 may transmit instructions to other servers, such as the app servers988, to trigger the batch jobs.

In some implementations, the QFS 992 may be an open source file systemavailable from Sun Microsystems® of Santa Clara, Calif. The QFS mayserve as a rapid-access file system for storing and accessinginformation available within the pod 944. The QFS 992 may support somevolume management capabilities, allowing many disks to be groupedtogether into a file system. File system metadata can be kept on aseparate set of disks, which may be useful for streaming applicationswhere long disk seeks cannot be tolerated. Thus, the QFS system maycommunicate with one or more content search servers 968 and/or indexers994 to identify, retrieve, move, and/or update data stored in thenetwork file systems 996 and/or other storage systems.

In some implementations, one or more query servers 982 may communicatewith the NFS 996 to retrieve and/or update information stored outside ofthe pod 944. The NFS 996 may allow servers located in the pod 944 toaccess information to access files over a network in a manner similar tohow local storage is accessed.

In some implementations, queries from the query servers 922 may betransmitted to the NFS 996 via the load balancer 928, which maydistribute resource requests over various resources available in theon-demand database service environment. The NFS 996 may also communicatewith the QFS 992 to update the information stored on the NFS 996 and/orto provide information to the QFS 992 for use by servers located withinthe pod 944.

In some implementations, the pod may include one or more databaseinstances 990. The database instance 990 may transmit information to theQFS 992. When information is transmitted to the QFS, it may be availablefor use by servers within the pod 944 without using an additionaldatabase call.

In some implementations, database information may be transmitted to theindexer 994. Indexer 994 may provide an index of information availablein the database 990 and/or QFS 992. The index information may beprovided to file servers 986 and/or the QFS 992.

In some implementations, one or more application servers or otherservers described above with reference to FIGS. 7A and 7B include ahardware and/or software framework configurable to execute proceduresusing programs, routines, scripts, etc. Thus, in some implementations,one or more of application servers 50 ₁-50 _(N) of FIG. 7B can beconfigured to initiate performance of one or more of the operationsdescribed above by instructing another computing device to perform anoperation. In some implementations, one or more application servers 50₁-50 _(N) carry out, either partially or entirely, one or more of thedisclosed operations. In some implementations, app servers 988 of FIG.7B support the construction of applications provided by the on-demanddatabase service environment 900 via the pod 944. Thus, an app server988 may include a hardware and/or software framework configurable toexecute procedures to partially or entirely carry out or instructanother computing device to carry out one or more operations disclosedherein. In alternative implementations, two or more app servers 988 maycooperate to perform or cause performance of such operations. Any of thedatabases and other storage facilities described above with reference toFIGS. 6A, 6B, 7A and 7B can be configured to store lists, articles,documents, records, files, and other objects for implementing theoperations described above. For instance, lists of availablecommunication channels associated with share actions for sharing a typeof data item can be maintained in tenant data storage 22 and/or systemdata storage 24 of FIGS. 7A and 7B. By the same token, lists of defaultor designated channels for particular share actions can be maintained instorage 22 and/or storage 24. In some other implementations, rather thanstoring one or more lists, articles, documents, records, and/or files,the databases and other storage facilities described above can storepointers to the lists, articles, documents, records, and/or files, whichmay instead be stored in other repositories external to the systems andenvironments described above with reference to FIGS. 6A, 6B, 7A and 7B.

While some of the disclosed implementations may be described withreference to a system having an application server providing a front endfor an on-demand database service capable of supporting multipletenants, the disclosed implementations are not limited to multi-tenantdatabases nor deployment on application servers. Some implementationsmay be practiced using various database architectures such as ORACLE®,DB2® by IBM and the like without departing from the scope of theimplementations claimed.

It should be understood that some of the disclosed implementations canbe embodied in the form of control logic using hardware and/or computersoftware in a modular or integrated manner. Other ways and/or methodsare possible using hardware and a combination of hardware and software.

Any of the disclosed implementations may be embodied in various types ofhardware, software, firmware, and combinations thereof. For example,some techniques disclosed herein may be implemented, at least in part,by computer-readable media that include program instructions, stateinformation, etc., for performing various services and operationsdescribed herein. Examples of program instructions include both machinecode, such as produced by a compiler, and files containing higher-levelcode that may be executed by a computing device such as a server orother data processing apparatus using an interpreter. Examples ofcomputer-readable media include, but are not limited to: magnetic mediasuch as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tape; optical media suchas flash memory, compact disk (CD) or digital versatile disk (DVD);magneto-optical media; and hardware devices specially configured tostore program instructions, such as read-only memory (ROM) devices andrandom access memory (RAM) devices. A computer-readable medium may beany combination of such storage devices.

Any of the operations and techniques described in this application maybe implemented as software code to be executed by a processor using anysuitable computer language such as, for example. Java, C++ or Perlusing, for example, object-oriented techniques. The software code may bestored as a series of instructions or commands on a computer-readablemedium. Computer-readable media encoded with the software/program codemay be packaged with a compatible device or provided separately fromother devices (e.g., via Internet download). Any such computer-readablemedium may reside on or within a single computing device or an entirecomputer system, and may be among other computer-readable media within asystem or network. A computer system or computing device may include amonitor, printer, or other suitable display for providing any of theresults mentioned herein to a user.

While various implementations have been described herein, it should beunderstood that they have been presented by way of example only, and notlimitation. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present applicationshould not be limited by any of the implementations described herein,but should be defined only in accordance with the following andlater-submitted claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: transmitting, by a serversystem to a client device, at least one graphical user interface (GUI)for presentation via a display, the at least one GUI configurable toprovide a set of user-configurable attributes of a hardwareconfiguration descriptor associated with a virtual hardware device type,the set of user-configurable attributes including a set of hardwareinterface attributes, the set of hardware interface attributes includingan input-output attribute associated with an interface identifier of atleast one hardware interface, the set of hardware interface attributesincluding an analog-digital attribute, the set of user-configurableattributes configurable to identify at least one source ofcomputer-readable instructions configurable to control operation of ahardware device configured using the hardware configuration descriptor;obtaining, by the server system from the client device, a hardwareinterface configuration associated with the set of hardware interfaceattributes, the hardware interface configuration indicating, for theinterface identifier of at least one hardware interface, a value of theinput-output attribute, the hardware interface configuration indicating,for at least one hardware interface identifier, a value of theanalog-digital attribute indicating whether the corresponding hardwareinterface is analog or digital; obtaining, by the server system from theclient device, an indication of at least a first web address identifyingthe at least one source of computer-readable instructions; generating orupdating, by the server system, a first hardware configurationdescriptor based, at least in part, on the hardware interfaceconfiguration and the first web address; storing, by the server system,the first hardware configuration descriptor, and facilitating, by theserver system, configuration of a first hardware device by transmittingthe first hardware configuration descriptor to the first hardwaredevice.
 2. The method of claim 1, the set of user-configurableattributes further including a device type identifier of the virtualhardware device type, the configuration including a first device typeidentifier, wherein the first hardware configuration descriptor isgenerated or updated in association with the first device typeidentifier.
 3. The method of claim 1, the at least one source of thecomputer-readable instructions comprising a uniform resource locator(URL).
 4. The method of claim 1, at least a portion of thecomputer-readable instructions configurable to control operation of oneor more hardware interfaces of the hardware device.
 5. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising processing an indication of a selection of auser interface element representing the virtual hardware device type;and generating or updating a process flow including the user interfaceelement, the process flow representing at least a portion of thecomputer-readable instructions.
 6. The method of claim 1, whereinstoring the first hardware configuration descriptor comprises: storing adatabase record in a database, the database record including, for eachof a plurality of fields, a corresponding value of the hardwareinterface configuration.
 7. The method of claim 1, the set of hardwareinterface attributes including a quantity of hardware interfacesassociated with the virtual hardware device type.
 8. A systemcomprising: a data base system implemented using a server system, thedatabase system configurable to cause: transmitting, to a client device,at least one graphical user interface (GUI) for presentation via adisplay, the at least one GUI configurable to provide a set ofuser-configurable attributes of a hardware configuration descriptorassociated with a virtual hardware device type, the set ofuser-configurable attributes including a set of hardware interfaceattributes, the set of hardware interface attributes including aninput-output attribute associated with an interface identifier of atleast one hardware interface, the set of hardware interface attributesincluding an analog-digital attribute, the set of user-configurableattributes configurable to identify at least one source ofcomputer-readable instructions configurable to control operation of ahardware device configured using the hardware configuration descriptor;obtaining, from the client device, a hardware interface configurationassociated with the set of hardware interface attributes, the hardwareinterface configuration indicating, for the interface identifier of atleast one hardware interface, a value of the input-output attribute, andthe hardware interface configuration indicating, for at least onehardware interface identifier, a value of the analog-digital attributeindicating whether the corresponding hardware interface is analog ordigital; obtaining, from the client device, an indication of at least afirst web address identifying the at least one source ofcomputer-readable instructions; generating or updating a first hardwareconfiguration descriptor based, at least in part, on the hardwareinterface configuration and the first web address; storing the firsthardware configuration descriptor; and facilitating configuration of afirst hardware device by transmitting the first hardware configurationdescriptor to the first hardware device.
 9. The system of claim 8, theset of user-configurable attributes further including a device typeidentifier of the virtual hardware device type, the configurationincluding a first device type identifier, wherein the first hardwareconfiguration descriptor is generated or updated in association with thefirst device type identifier.
 10. The system of claim 8, at least aportion of the computer-readable instructions configurable to controloperation of one or more hardware interfaces of the hardware device. 11.The system of claim 8, the database system further configurable tocause: processing an indication of a selection of a user interfaceelement representing the virtual hardware device type; and generating orupdating a process flow including the user interface element, theprocess flow representing at least a portion of the computer-readableinstructions.
 12. The system of claim 8, the set of hardware interfaceattributes including a quantity of hardware interfaces associated withthe virtual hardware device type.
 13. A computer program productcomprising computer-readable program code capable of being executed byone or more processors when retrieved from a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium, the program code comprising computer-readableinstructions configurable to cause: transmitting, by a hardware device,a first request to a server; processing, by the hardware device, aresponse received from the server responsive to the first request, theresponse including a hardware configuration descriptor; storing, by thehardware device, the hardware configuration descriptor in a memory ofthe hardware device, the hardware configuration descriptor indicating,for at least one hardware interface identifier, an input-outputconfiguration of a corresponding hardware interface of the hardwaredevice, the hardware configuration descriptor indicating a first webaddress corresponding to computer-readable instructions configurable tocontrol operation of the hardware device, the hardware configurationdescriptor indicating, for at least one hardware interface, ananalog-digital configuration indicating whether the correspondinghardware interface is analog or digital; automatically configuring, bythe hardware device, at least one hardware interface of the hardwaredevice using the hardware configuration descriptor; and transmitting, bythe hardware device, a second request including the first web address.14. The computer program product of claim 13, the first web addressbeing associated with a first hardware interface identifier, thecomputer-readable instructions configurable to control operation of ahardware interface associated with the first hardware interfaceidentifier.
 15. The computer program product of claim 14, whereintransmitting the second request is performed responsive to obtaininginput via a first hardware interface of the hardware device mapped tothe first hardware interface identifier.
 16. The computer programproduct of claim 13, the hardware configuration descriptor beingassociated with a first virtual hardware device type, the program codefurther comprising computer-readable instructions configurable to cause:processing an indication of a selection of the virtual hardware devicetype from a plurality of virtual hardware device types, each of theplurality of virtual hardware device types being associated with one ofa plurality of web addresses; responsive to processing the indication ofthe selection of the first virtual hardware device type, identifying asecond web address of the plurality of web addresses that is mapped tothe first virtual hardware device type; wherein transmitting the firstrequest includes transmitting a HTTP request including the second webaddress.
 17. The method of claim 1, the value of the input-outputattribute indicating whether the corresponding hardware interface is atleast one of: an input or an output.